The proposed research will deal with the taxonomy of an extensive collection of chiggers with related host material, at the Bishop Museum. Based on field notes accompanying the hosts and sites of attachment of the chiggers to the hosts, an analysis of host group specificity, parasitope specificity and habitat specificity will be made. Distribution of vectors of chigger-borne rickettsiosis will be investigated, as many of the specimens were taken from localities not previously sampled. Distribution patterns of leg setation will be studied for application to the taxonomy of Trombiculidae. At present such patterns have not been extensively investigated for this group.